| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare: It were impossible I should speed amiss.
BAPTISTA.
Why, how now, daughter Katherine, in your dumps?
KATHERINA.
Call you me daughter? Now I promise you
You have show'd a tender fatherly regard
To wish me wed to one half lunatic,
A mad-cap ruffian and a swearing Jack,
That thinks with oaths to face the matter out.
PETRUCHIO.
Father, 'tis thus: yourself and all the world
The Taming of the Shrew |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas: joining them is not very attractive to me, I confess. Let us
act in freedom, that we may act well and quickly."
"I shall go," he said, "to the queen."
"Well, then," answered Aramis, "pray tell me a day or two
beforehand, that I may take that opportunity of going to
Paris."
"To whom?"
"Zounds! how do I know? perhaps to Madame de Longueville.
She is all-powerful yonder; she will help me. But send me
word should you be arrested, for then I will return
directly."
Twenty Years After |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Koran: And we did give to Moses the Book, and place with him his brother
Aaron as a minister; and we said, 'Go ye to the people who say our
signs are lies, for we will destroy them with utter destruction.'
And the people of Noah, when they said the apostles were liars, we
drowned them, and we made them a sign for men; and we prepared for the
unjust a grievous woe.
And 'Ad and Thamud and the people of ar Rass, and many generations
between them.
For each one have we struck out parables, and each one have we
ruined with utter ruin.
Why, they have come past the cities which were rained on with an
The Koran |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The American by Henry James: at Lord Deepmere's face would have satisfied you, as it apparently
satisfied Madame de Cintre, that they constituted only a naivete.
When his companions were seated, Newman, who was out of the conversation,
occupied himself with observing the newcomer. Observation, however,
as regards Lord Deepmere's person; had no great range.
He was a small, meagre man, of some three and thirty years of age,
with a bald head, a short nose and no front teeth in the upper jaw;
he had round, candid blue eyes, and several pimples on his chin.
He was evidently very shy, and he laughed a great deal, catching his breath
with an odd, startling sound, as the most convenient imitation of repose.
His physiognomy denoted great simplicity, a certain amount of brutality,
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